(8-27-26) North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian in Anderson, South Carolina has hired Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter, who identifies as a transgender lesbian, to serve as its stated supply pastor. Buchleiter was previously reported as the first openly transgender minister ordained by a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-affiliated congregation.

Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter

What “transgender lesbian” means: it generally refers to a transgender woman who is attracted to women. “Transgender” describes her gender identity, while “lesbian” describes her sexual orientation.

Buchleiter has argued that transgender identities can reflect “God’s immense creativity” rather than contradict Christianity, and has also described the transition experience using biblical imagery, comparing the name “Bethany” to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

About the video…

Presenter and QCF Board Member, Rev. Laura Beth Buchleiter leads this session titled, Calibrating The Lens of Self.

This session explores the Lens of Self which is how our identities, experiences, traumas, teachings, and beliefs shape the way we see the world and how that lens helps us relate to the Divine. Using a trauma-sensitive model, we’ll examine the Self as Body, Soul, and Spirit, and focus on restoring wholeness through Love, Grace, Faith, Hope, and Peace. This workshop is perfect for those navigating faith deconstruction or seeking a deeper, more grounded spiritual journey.

Sign up for this year’s Conference at https://www.qcfconf.org/

The appointment comes as the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues moving in a more progressive direction on sexuality and gender, fueling ongoing debate among Christians over biblical authority, clergy qualifications and the church’s understanding of male and female.

Who is?

From GROK AI

Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter (also known as Laura Beth or LB) is a pastor, speaker, writer, spiritual director, musician, and LGBTQ+ advocate who identifies as a transgender lesbian woman.

She was raised male (assigned male at birth), grew up in Methodist and Presbyterian settings as a Navy kid who moved frequently, and was active in conservative evangelical contexts including Young Life, a PCA church, Moody Bible Institute and Dallas Baptist University.

She married, had children, and worked in various ministry and Christian music/production roles.

A gender dysphoria diagnosis came around 2006; she came out as a transgender woman in 2014 (after years of therapy and an attempted suicide), divorced, underwent gender-affirmation surgery in 2018 at IU Health, and has also referenced a later intersex diagnosis.

She began identifying as a lesbian around 2016 due to continued attraction to women. She has three children.

Key points in her ministry path:

• She earned an MDiv from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis (graduated 2021).

• In May 2021, University Baptist Church in Bloomington, Indiana (aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) ordained her as a Minister of the Gospel. This was widely reported as the first known ordination of a transgender person by a CBF-affiliated congregation (she has noted she may not have been the absolute first transgender person ordained in any Baptist church).

• She has served in interim/pastoral roles (including early work in Wyoming with a UCC congregation) and focuses on interim ministry, spiritual direction, speaking on gender/sexual orientation/faith topics, self-care, and related issues. She draws on personal experiences with PTSD, gender dysphoria, and suicidal ideation.

• She has self-published the book Shattering Masks: Affirming My Identity and Transitioning My Faith (2016) and a music album (The Seminary Sessions: More Than a Melody, 2021). She also works in podcasting, art (including pyrography), and related creative projects. Her website is laura-bethany.com; she has been based primarily in the Indianapolis area while traveling for ministry.

As of mid-to-late 2026 reporting, North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian (PCUSA) in Anderson, South Carolina (a small congregation averaging roughly 20–30 attendees), called her as stated supply pastor. She has been in the process of transferring ordination credentials toward the PC(USA).

Her public statements frame transgender identity and related experiences as consistent with divine creativity rather than contradiction to Christian faith, and she has been involved with affirming networks, events (e.g., Reformation Project, Free Mom Hugs), and progressive faith spaces. Coverage appears in outlets ranging from Baptist News Global and local papers to Christian Post.

Related: Religion: United Methodist Pastor “We love you, Bible, just not like that’